I was totally out of theme ideas for the spouse’s birthday, and he wasn’t giving me any ideas, so I just set out to try a couple of things I’ve never done before, but always wanted to do.

The spouse likes marzipan (and I had some in the pantry), so I opted for that instead of fondant to try out my first rolled cake coating.

Of course all the easy colors are pastels, and I was pretty sure the spouse wouldn’t want a birthday cake looking like a baby shower cake, so I dyed it a more saturated color.

The other thing I’d always wanted to try was roses (I seem to never get to do more traditional styles). So this is my first time with roses, and I’m in love! I’m now looking for excuses to make a big display of cupcakes each with a huge, luscious rose on top.